


i believe the universe wants to be noticed

by radiowrittenheart



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Drabble Collection, Family, Feels, Gen, Journey Through Life, Pre-Canon, Snippets, idk i just sat down and wrote this in like an hour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 18:45:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4575639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radiowrittenheart/pseuds/radiowrittenheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten years. A decade seems like mere days for the Crystal Gems. They have devoted so much to this remarkable child.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i believe the universe wants to be noticed

**Author's Note:**

> So I was listening to "Son of Man" by Phil Collins and this idea sort of popped in my head. Here goes nothing.

_**. . . one . . .** _

The first year is the hardest. The Gems are conflicted, almost sharing him. They’re not a family, as Rose had hoped they would be. Ironically enough, Steven’s first word is Mama. All the chatter - _“oh, if only his mother was here”_ , _“you look so much like your mom”_ , _“your mother would love you so much”_ \- makes him curious.

Pearl is outraged. How dare he think that they’re his mothers?

Amethyst is surprised. Should one of them act like his mom?

Garnet is the one who cries … simply because it isn’t fair. He’s too young to know the truth yet.

The three of them realize they have to continue being a team.

A team and a family are the same thing; more or less.

_**. . . two . . .** _

He’s such a precious thing, dubbing them as _“Pur”,_ _“Thys”_ and _“Garnee”_ and whatever Terrible Twos stage Greg warned them about didn’t happen. Steven only cried when he wasn’t with one of them. He was so little yet his heart was so big.

They take him to the beach, watch him squeal with joy at the waves, and help him build sand castles. They teach him how to read picture books and write his name. They cuddle with him until he falls asleep. They play fight with him, making sure he wins.

They do their missions in rotations, so at least one of them can always be by his side.

Slowly but surely, they’re warming up to him.

**_. . . three . . ._ **

Steven is mocked by a few older kids on the beach. He stumbles towards the temple, crying and begging for them to remove his gem.

He doesn’t like it-

-that nearly breaks their metaphorical hearts.

Each one of the Gems take Steven aside, explain to him that his gem makes him special and it’s why he’s so deeply loved. Pearl tries to explain to him about his mother, but she gets too emotional. Amethyst gives a pathetic excuse of an explanation. Garnet is the one who lets Steven sit in her lap and cry. She sees it all, but she can’t be the one to tell him about his mother.

One day, they all will.

**_. . . four . . ._ **

The Gems take him to this place humans take their young offspring. Preschool, they call it.

Steven seemed to like it for a good week or two. He came home everyday with a new story; there was a pretty little girl with glasses who shared a cookie with him, the teacher liked his gem, he got to bring his ukulele in for show and tell day…

...then one day, he came home with a story they couldn’t believe.

He told them that he was stupid. He couldn’t read like the other kids could. He still had trouble writing every letter of the alphabet.

Greg had told the Gems he met with the teacher, and Steven had some sort of learning disability.

They assumed it was because of the gem magic interfering with his mind.

But that was not going to stop little Steven from excelling in other things.

_**. . . five . . .** _

During an outing, Pearl is mistaken for his mother. Steven doesn’t know why she bursts into tears and keeps crying the whole walk home. He tries to get her to calm down; hugs her, gives her his favorite stuffed animal, tells her he loves her, but that doesn’t help at all.

In fact, it makes things worse.

Or maybe better. Neither of them are sure.

It’s probably a good thing that she hugs him tight and tells him that she loves him more than anything in this world, calls him “her baby boy” but it’s a terribly beautiful thing when he asks her if she is his mother.

Pearl tells him no. But she can’t find the courage to tell him about Rose.

_**. . . six . . .** _

Greg Universe is a brave man. He has to tell his six-year-old son about how his mother is dead, and poor little Steven doesn’t know what death is.

It means that his mother is gone, and she’s never coming back.

That’s the easiest way Greg can explain it, anyway. Rose isn’t dead. But that’s the simplest of terms to use. And unfortunately, Steven seems to understand too easily. He’s a crying mess, asking if there’s some way they could rescue his mother and bring her back…

...but Greg can’t tell him why Rose is gone.

**_. . . seven . . ._ **

Steven dreams of his mother.

Rose Quartz is indeed beautiful, inside and out.

In the dream, it almost feels real. Steven has this dream almost every night; it seems the same on the surface, but deep down, it changes once in a while. She gives the best hugs, kisses his forehead and cheeks and she explains to him that she’s crying because she’s happy.

So happy to see him, to love him.

That confused him a lot, why people would cry when they were happy but it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that the Gems didn’t believe him. That it was all in his head. But how did that explain the bittersweet smell of soil - the smell of his mother - on his pajamas? The fact that he knew what her voice sounded like; melodious and strong?

They even laughed at him when he sang a song for them, a song he claimed his mother sang for him.

He never dreams of her again after he tells the Gems.

_**. . . eight . . .** _

For his birthday, which falls perfectly between spring and summer, Steven receives a painting from his father. A painting of Rose, of course. Her eyes are closed, her hands are folded and her hair flows behind her like a halo - she really does look like an angel.

Steven doesn’t know why he cries when he gets it.

Maybe it’s because this is the first real, meaningful present he’s ever gotten from his dad. Toys, clothes and instruments were nice, but this … this was something else.

He pleads the Gems to hang it up in the cabin. He doesn’t tell them why-

-but he likes the idea of having his mother overlook all of them, keeping them safe even if she’s not there.

_**. . . nine . . .** _

The Gems sit Steven down, take him aside.

They each try to explain the relationship they had with his mother; but they keep it brief. Pearl simply says she was very close with Rose, Amethyst admits Rose was like a mom to her and Garnet is quiet, unusually quiet, for the longest time until she finally says that Rose accepted her. They come to the conclusion that she took care of them, and now it’s their turn to take care of him.

Steven fakes a smile. He’s learned to do that since he was little - because sometimes the Gems worry about him too much. His smiles light up their lives, and he knows it.

But in all truth, he wishes that he could have a relationship with Rose.

_**. . . ten . . .** _

Ten years. A decade seems like mere days for the Crystal Gems. But now, Steven is on his first mission with them, so excited and a little wary of his powers. He’s still so young, he’s only a child-

-but he’s grown up so fast.

Pearl thought she’d never love him. Now, she can’t imagine life without him. But it doesn’t mean that if given the chance, she would bring Rose back too. She’d have them both in her life, if possible.

Amethyst likes having a sidekick, a little brother sort of. Steven is part of her life now. She doesn’t question it.

Garnet is just so. On the outside, she lives no differently than before. But on the inside, she would move mountains for that remarkable little boy, the little blessing.

And Steven… so naive. So unbeknownst to the life he will live.

They all know he’s worth something unexplainable. They can only wait until he fully accepts it.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated!


End file.
